Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Rafflesia arnoldii produces the largest individual flower of any species in the world. But you might not want to get too close to it because it has "a penetrating smell more repulsive than any buffalo carcass in an advanced stage of decomposition".[link / W]

The Journal of George Davidson (1785) from the Rare Book Room. This remarkable document appears to be the record of a mariner from Boston and includes prayers, Freemason material, moral poems as well as paintings and some beautiful handwriting. (That description is from a quickish skim and probably doesn't do it sufficient justice: this is a very interesting booklet worthy of a closer look). [via]

Melusine (or Melusina) is something of a pan-European folklore character with variable traits. The female siren figure can be a water sprite or fairy, a mermaid or a snake and the story outlines the consequences for her human husband after he watches the changeling Melusine bathe against her wishes (or similar). It was probably first written down in the 13th or 14th centuries -- its origins in the oral tradition may stretch back to Homer -- and the above images come from a very early manuscript form of the first German translation (from the French) by Thüring von Ringoltingen in 1456. {see: one, two} [via]

Bal au Moulin Rouge and Le Courrier Français poster images by the fantastic Jules Chéret from the late 19th century. Just gorgeous. These images come from the Versailles database and there are more works by Jules Chéret at Wikimedia.

These 18th century opera costume designs -- 'Habillemens et Décoration d'Opéra' -- by Jean Berain are also from the Versailles database.

These grotesque ornamental panels are from a suite of twelve prints issued in 1644 in Amsterdam by the publisher Claes Jansz Visscher. The collection - 'Seer Aerdige Grotissen Dienstich' - is a copy of the set of engravings by Johan Bara after an earlier series (1623) by Nicasius Roussel called 'De Grotesco Per utilis ... Liber'. The images above are from the British Museum Prints Database.

'Gebetbuch der Haremsdame Düsdidil' (Prayer book of the Harem Lady Düsdidil) is an exquisite illuminated manuscript from Turkey made by Hasan RaSid in 1845. If you like manuscript decoration, particularly unusual and beautiful examples outside of the 'mainstream', you should definitely check out this work hosted by the Bavarian State Library [click miniaturansicht for thumbs].

Is this a repeat? I hope not, but I'm sure it happens occasionally {not that there's anything wrong with that!}. I look, I collect, and after the passage of time I forget if I saw it on BibliOdyssey or just in passing at one repository or another. Well, I do know that this 1673 engraving by Francis Barlow of St George slaying a dragon was sourced from the British Museum Prints Database.

This map of Iceland ('Islandia') from 1609 by Abraham Ortelius may just be my all-time favourite map because of that array of sea beasties. The source site, Rare Maps, has another version in addition to this one, in case you want a different - and slightly cheaper - colour pallet. {nb. I think the original was engraved in c. 1585} [previously related]

This is a full page illustration from an 1852 magazine called 'Yankee Notions'. I am grateful to Steven Lomazow from Magazine History for allowing this image from his collection to be reposted. Lomazow is a serious collector of vintage magazines and ephemera of Americana.

The National Library of Slovenia [click on 'Art Library' in that top blurb] recently uploaded a batch of prints, watercolours and sculptures from (mostly) 20th century Slovenian artists. It's worth a flick through.

'Thesaurus Palatinus' is a very intriguing manuscript uploaded recently by the University of Heidelberg [click anything below 'inhalt' and then 'vorschau' for a large page of thumbs]. It was produced in about 1750 by Johann Franz Freiherr von Wickenburg and seems to be a compilation and historical record of sepulchre, crypt and tomb inscriptions and architectural designs together with sketches of churches and related structures. It ranges from unsophisticated to beautiful and contains a lot of quasi-calligraphic flourishes and assiduous handwriting; all the hallmarks of an outsider über-nerd.

there's so much here (thank you), and i'm not done yet, but i wanted to say that this is the first time i've ever seen a stinky bottom as an ornament (vasscher/bara).also, the melusine images are beautiful. thanks!